The Farmhouse

When the clients (and parents of two) are an an organic farmer and radiologist, you know the results are going to be unique.

A thirty-something couple with two young children envisioned a home in Wake County, North Carolina, that would be practically oxymoronic: simultaneously old and modern, resembling properties of the past but with the clean lines of the present. As an organic farmer and a radiologist, they were already experienced with uniting disparate backgrounds, and they called upon in situ studio to find the same balance for their impending address. Naturally, one of the first things in situ studio principal Erin Sterling Lewis did was study the classics. The couple desired a farmhouse, so she drove around the area until she found longstanding structures made in that style. She ad her team kept Historic Architecture of Wake County, a book by Kelly A. Lally, in easy access at the office. Lewis referenced other architects, made drawings of her own, and then unveiled a cohesive vision to her clients. They now drive off a two-lane road to arrive at a secluded homestead where traditional details bolster a modern floor plan. “Two children sleep upstairs, and the master suite stretches towards the forest in the rear of the house,” Lewis says. Two opposing ideas made for one wholesome finish.

“The main volume presents a traditional front and is wrapped on the west and south by a deep porch,” says architect Erin Sterling Lewis. “Living and dining spaces access the porch.” A standing seam metal roof with a Kynar finish and HardiePlank Lap Siding cover the exterior of this 3,000-square-foot home.

“It was important to site the house in such a way that it had views to both the field and the forest, but it also wasn’t visible from the main road,” says Lewis. VELUX skylights bring extra light into the home.

“Our goal was to strike a good balance between traditional and modern in a way that did not result in simply a traditional exterior and modern interior,” says Lewis. A pressure-treated wood deck extends from the property under a stained pine, V-groove ceiling. Steel and wood comprise the columns.

“Knowing that the kitchen would be where the family would spend most of their time, it was designed to have a variety of seating and really good views to the beautiful forest and field outside,” says Lewis. IKEA bar stools line up against white quartz countertops, and lighting by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. shines overhead.

“We had to take into consideration that this young family was going to be living on a viable farm,” says interior designer Kris Ozburn of Second Mile Design. “So, selecting furniture that was practical but had good design was a priority.” Ozburn chose pieces like the sectional sofa from Precedent that felt timeless and modern.